Creativity is in the Lateral

Psychoanalyst and writer Johanna Dobrich is credited as a pioneer in clinical thought and study regarding survivor siblings, and noted for her interest in sibling relationships as sites of profound impact. Answering a question about why clinical theory has traditionally been focused on the hierarchical parent-child relationship over the lateral, sibling relationship, she says:

"Sociopolitical forces constrained our imagination out of loyalty, which is what happens in hierarchies with power...it's not a plot, it's a happenstance, an outcome of what power does. It's discursive, it limits our imagination...

...What happens in communities where power is shared, instead of held over? What gets developed??...

...I think if we really want to understand creativity, we really need to consider what gets developed in lateral spaces. I think it's a huge source of creativity."

- Johanna Dobrich